Springy Breaks Late Tie

Knuble Debuts with Point

March 27, 2026

Allentown, PA – Zayde Wisdom (11th) scored a third-period tying goal for the Phantoms bu Springfield exploded for three straight to put the game away in a 5-3 decision on Friday night at PPL Center.

Newly arriving prospect Cole Knuble produced an assist in his pro debut as the fourth-round selection of the Flyers in 2023 connected on a give-and-go with Anthony Richard (18th) in the first period. He is the son of former Flyers forward Mike Knuble who spent five seasons with Philadelphia. Mike Knuble played 149 career AHL games with the Adirondack Red Wings before his sensational NHL career of over 1,000 games. The Notre Dame product had just joined the team on Thursday morning and didn’t have to wait long to get his first official taste of professional hockey.

Springfield (26-29-8) has now clawed its way into a tie with the Phantoms for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. Cue the drama. And the added intensity for the remaining nine games of the season.

Aleksei Kolosov was having an especially strong game early including three sensational denials in rapid-fire succession off the left pad to rob Zach Dean repeatedly at the side of the net,

Dillon Dube (13th) struck at 7:28 into the game on the move from Chris Wagner. Dube’s low shot from the top of the right circle just eluded Kolosov’s skate for an initial 1-0 lead for the T-Birds.

The pair of veterans, Dube and Wagner, both finished with one goal and two assists to pace the Springfield attack.

Lehigh Valley (27-30-6) struck back on Knuble’s first career professional point when he connected from the right boards back to a speeding Richard down the middle who knocked past Vadim Zherenko five-hole to forge a 1-1 tie at 11:45. Max Guenette also assisted on the play.

Dube picked up a steal in the corner to find Wager out in front who quickly roofed it to the upper-right corner for a 2-1 lead at 7:09 into the second period. Lehigh Valley’s penalty kill stood tall after that with back-to-back successful kills including several stick lifts to break up opportunities in the middle. But after racking up 10 shots on goal in the first period, Lehigh Valley’s efforts in the offensive zone had gone stale getting outshot 9-2 in the middle period.

Two Springfield players had crashed out behind the play and the Phantoms quickly took advantage. David Jiricek carried across the line on the right point and found a cutting Wisdom from the left boards who chipped in the tying goal through Zherenko at 6:32 into the third period to make it 2-2.

But the deadlock wouldn’t last long. Just two-and-a-half minutes later, Aleksantari Kaskimaki (8th) got to a rebound off the pads of Kolosov to put the T-Birds back in front at 3-2 at 9:08 into the third.

Just 130 seconds after that, it was 4-2. A pick off in the corner defelcted out in front for Juraj Pekarcik (10th). Then it was Hugh McGing taking a pass from the right boards and almost on the breakaway blasting one top-shelf past the glove of Kolosov for a 5-2 lead at 13:36. Just seven minutes after the Phantoms had surged back to tie the score at 2-2, the T-Birds had turned the tables to take a commanding 5-2 lead.

Oscar Eklind (9th) got one back with just 2:13 left on a sharp-angle rebound goal from the right of the cage assisted by Lane Pederson and Phil Tomasino to cut the margin to 5-3. But the Phantoms were unable to get any closer. Anthony Richard made it interesting with 13 seconds left when he pushed it through Zherenko before a Springfield defender located the puck on the line and somehow kept it out.

There are nine games remaining in the regular season. Lehigh Valley’s Magic Number is 19 points to clinch a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

The homestand continues on Saturday against the Hershey Bears and then Lehigh Valley will travel to Wilkes-Barre on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. for another rivalry tilt.

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